Re: Last Movie You Watched Thread
 

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Le petit soldat (1963, Dir. Jean-Luc Godard) – Godard’s second feature after Breathless, this one was delayed by the French Government for a couple years, mainly cause it addressed the French Gov’s ongoing (at the time) colonial involvement in Algeria and the use of torture by both sides of that conflict. Maybe not as “packed to the gills” with new ideas and innovations like most of his earliest films, this one is all right. It has Godard’s first collaboration with Anna Karina, which is probably the biggest takeaway from this film. She was wonderful here and would continue to shine in many of Godard’s subsequent films. The acting by her counterpart Michel Subor, however, is pretty lacklustre, especially when compared to the other male leads Godard would work with throughout his career. The film is somewhat critical of both sides of the political equation, but obviously (as with other films released during the French New Wave, and not only Godard’s films) the film’s overwhelming stance is one opposed to colonialism and neo-colonialism (it confronts this in a somewhat contradictory fashion, but I think that’s just to prevent the film from having its main political message expressed so overtly). It has its share of rich and philosophical dialogue, which can sometimes drag down Godard’s more overtly political films, but in this instant it’s relatively restrained, or at least…somewhat contained to key moments. Almost all Godard films are at least worth watching once (yes, even most of those outright political and propagandist films he made throughout a large chunk of the ‘70s and ‘80s), and this one is no different. It’s not going to measure up to a Pierrot le fou, or Masculin feminin, or Band of Outsiders, or Contempt; but it’s a solid movie. Limited extras on the Criterion Blu, however.

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The Running Man (1987, Dir. Paul Michael Glaser) - A slightly mediocre Schwarzenegger action movie based on an original story by Stephen King. Interesting idea, and in hindsight quite prescient, what with its gameshow/reality show combo. They manage to sell that part of the film very well. And the action is adequate, albeit not exactly revelatory. Maria Conchita Alonso does well enough as the main romantic interest, and I felt she had some decent chemistry with Arnold. Yaphet Kotto is good. Richard Dawson is wonderful as the sleazy host. I just thought the structure was a bit obvious and a bit lame, with Arnold just kind of going through four levels of what amounts to being a videogame. So I’d put it in the tier below the kind of key Arnie vehicles of this time: the Terminator films, Predator, Conan the Barbarian…kind of feels like it would fit alongside something like Commando, in terms of overall quality, or a tad higher just due to the kind of social commentary that The Running Man provides, regarding class divisions and the “haves” vs the “have nots” and corruption in the media and politics, etc. Not exactly subtle but they tried. Still leaps and bounds better than most anything Schwarzenegger puts out currently, and well worth watching for completists. Looking forward to the upcoming Edgar Wright remake/re-imagining.

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Below The Belt Kino Lorber Blu-Ray
Regina Baff. Directed by Robert Fowler. 1980
Waitress Rosa Rubinsky would do anything to escape her go-nowhere existence, including risking life and limb in the wrestling ring, disguised as "The Mexican Spitfire." Trained by veteran lady wrestler Mildred Burke, Rosa seeks fame and fortune on the Midwest grappling circuit, finding neither but having a high old time in the process.

"Below The Belt" was shot in 1974, -though released in 1980, -and it's a low budget, low-key slice-of-Life set in the somewhat shabby world of Women's Professional Wrestling at that time. The cast is made up of familiar faces from films and television if you're an old dude like me, -Dolph Sweet, James Gammon, Shirley Stoler, -who play wrestlers but, of course, don't do any on-screen wrestling. The lead actress is Regina Baff, who has a sad-sack quality better suited for Sitcoms, or the lead actor's best friend in a Drama. There's very little wrestling in the movie, other than a big match at the end. What the movie has instead is montages of time passing set to unambitious original songs. There's a contemplating my future montage, a bad love montage, a training montage, a traveling on the bus montage. Just when you think they've exhausted the well, they come up with another montage. It's all very sincere and competently performed, but the movie really needed some dramatic wrestling matches to sell the story. It's all just a slice-of-life in the era before GLOW.

And by the way, when are we going to get Robert Aldrich's "All the Marbles" with Peter Falk and Laurene Landon on blu-ray?

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The Silence of the Lambs Arrow Video 4K
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins. Directed by Jonathan Demme. 1991
An FBI trainee enlists the help of an infamous Serial killer, to gain insight into the mind of another killer.

Brilliant film. I hope this is the last time I buy "Silence of the Lambs" on Home Video. I originally bought the Pioneer laserdisc, which was "Full Frame" and contained no bonus material. I was disappointed, but I was sure this was the only version we would ever get. I was thrilled when Criterion announced a feature-packed laserdisc of their own. I still have the disc, but nothing to play it on. Then I have two different DVDs of the film, -the Criterion version and an MGM Collector's Edition with new features. Then Criterion finally re-issued the film on blu-ray back in 2018. Then I recently bought the Kino 4k, which happened to have a major "color space" error throughout the first 20 minutes. Kino wouldn't address the issue, so I'd just have to live with a flawed version. But then Arrow conjured up a Special Edition for the UK with new features, photo cards and a book, and so here I am.

I remember one Sunday well over twenty years ago, I recommended "Silence of the Lambs" to my parents, back when the film was on pay cable. I told them it was a good Thriller, and since they'd watched "Psycho" and "The Shining" and the like, I figured they would enjoy it. The next day my father gave me an earful and my mother seemed a bit disgusted with me (I assume for thinking they'd want to watch something like that). All these years later, and my parents long gone, I watched the film again and realized just how strong some of the content was, and I realize how big a mistake I made.

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My streak of watching at least one movie per day this year continues. I think I'll try to fulfill this through January 31, and then let it go. I have some travel coming up and I know it won't always be possible to watch a movie every day, so I'm not going that route.

As I posted here, for the week of January 12-18, 2025, I watched 13 movies in this order:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/2.gif2 Days in the Valley (1996) - First watch, turns out, I'd missed exactly zero with this typical mid-90s "I wish I was a Quentin Tarantino movie" borefest. Yes, even with Charlize Theron.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/5.gif The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - This will always be in my Top 5. Always.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.5.gif Return of the Jedi (1983) - I found myself enjoying this one more than I usually do. It works better than people give it credit for, I think.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.5.gif Rogue One (2016) - I loved this when it came out, then thought it was okay, and this time the movie was re-elevated for me.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.gif Solo (2018) - I've always enjoyed this one and I wish they'd make more of them.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.5.gif Double Indemnity (1944) - I actually got my youngest to watch this with me and she enjoyed it. What a classic. Watched on Criterion 4K and wow!
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/2.gifDavid Cross: Oh, Come On (2019) - First watch. Meh. Despite a love for Mr. Show, I've clearly outgrown David Cross's stand up.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.gif A Real Pain (2024) - First watch, I really enjoyed this. Well done, Jesse Eisenberg, and the buzz on Culkin is real.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.gif Nightbitch (2024) - First watch, I think the "heavy-handedness" of the messaging really works here. I'd watch this again.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/2.5.gifEnder's Game (2013) - First watch, and eh, it was fine. Harrison Ford earned a big paycheck for sitting in a green screen room, good for him.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/2.5.gifVirtuosity (1995) - First watch, I really appreciate what they tried to do, and some of this is still prescient for today. The execution, ultimately, has that 90s clunky feel, too bad.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/3.5.gifMr. Brooks (2007) - First watch, I thought this was pretty good, yet tried a bit too hard. I sort of want to watch it again, now knowing how it goes. The ending surprised me.
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/4.gif Leave the World Behind (2023) - First watch, I'd started this a while ago, forgot about it. Finished the last 90 minutes and enjoyed it more after everyone got in the house.

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Let Him Go Amazon Prime 4K
Diane Lane, Kevin Costner. Directed by Thomas Bezucha. 2020
A retired sheriff and his wife, grieving over the death of their son, set out to find their only grandson.

"Tenet" was the first film I saw in theatres when they re-opened after the Covid shutdown, and two months later "Let Him Go" was the second. It was just nice to see a studio production with "Name" actors, rather than low budget efforts like "The Wretched" that were generally being offered. "Let Him Go" is ultimately more of a Diane Lane film than a Kevin Costner film, though both actors are excellent as Margaret and George Blackledge, and the bond between them is the heart of the film. The film does create a wonderfully despicable family that stands between The Blackledges and their grandson. The tone is rather mournful throughout. Without saying too much, this is one of those films that resolves the central dilemma but leaves you contemplating the cost.

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Anamorph (2007) — I like dark crime-thrillers and Willem Dafoe but this one just didn't really work. The direction was basic and Dafoe was fine but not a performance that stood out to go along with a lackluster supporting cast. Forgettable. **½/***** (DVD)

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The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, Tommy Lee Jones) - I've always felt that this Tommy Lee Jones-directed pic was underrated (similarly, I also like his subsequent pic, The Homesman, more than most). Written by Guillermo Arriaga, who I believe is mostly associated with Inarritu's films, wrote a simple, straight-forward story well told. He created some great characters to be played by fine actors such as Jones himself (taciturn and ornery, as most of his characters are), Dwight Yoakam (even take away the music side of the business, if he was dedicated fulltime to acting he'd excel in that industry just as well; he's still underrated and seems somewhat picky in the roles he chooses, although this does backfire sometimes cause I've seen him in some DTV "B" movies along the way), Barry Pepper (who is hit or miss; too often he plays characters that are mentally deranged and he does it a bit too over-the-top; here he plays a character who is slowly humbled and eventually seeks remorse, and he does so admirably), January Jones (seems to always impress me, but I don't get to see her enough cause she's just not in a lot of movies that I watch), and Melissa Leo (I find her personality grating, but given the proper role, I have to admit she's a good actress; and bold in this one, particularly one scene between her and Yoakam). And Levon Helm, for those that know him, has a really touching cameo. The direction from Jones is subdued and low-key, but that works perfectly well for this movie. He doesn't rely on any fancy camera tricks. No real special effects. He relies on the actors, the script, and the beautifully shot scenery, which he and his team take full advantage of. The movie feels old-school, and that's maybe why it still tends to fly a little bit under the radar, although those that do seek it out and do watch it tend to like it.

Unfortunately, for the second time I purchased a Blu-Ray copy of the Sony Classics Release and for the second time (the purchases were months apart from two different retailers) the disc is defective. Begins skipping in the final 15-20 minutes and then just freezes. Again. Thankfully I have yet to sell my DVD, so I just popped that in to watch the final section (breaks the flow, yes, but I was into it and hadn't watched it in a while). Glad it's within the window of return, and maybe it was an isolated batch or something, but those that purchase the disc might wanna watch it sooner rather than later...I'll maybe try and repurchase down the road but for now I'm sticking with my DVD copy...

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American Movie Amazon Prime 4K
Mark Borchardt. Directed by Chris Smith. 1999
A documentary about a Wisconsin man named Mark Borchardt and his attempts to direct a low-budget horror film called "Coven."

"American Movie" is well-regarded Documentary that has been kept in Home Video Limbo since its DVD days. Sony recently released a blu-ray and 4K and that put me in mind to revisit it. Mark Borchardt is a rather hapless character, in debt, probably alcoholic, and a reasonably attentive father who owes child support. But he has a driving ambition to be a filmmaker, no matter what. He has menial jobs, -delivering newspapers, for example, -that he regards only as a way to pay for his films. His dream project is called "Northwestern", but to raise money for that film, he's making a black-and-white Horror short titled "Coven" (he pronounces it with a long "o"). "American Movie" digs into the day-to-day of his life, working a job he hates, borrowing money from family, juggling a new girlfriend along with his kid's mother, lots of drinking, and dealing with his frail grandfather who's financing his meager dream. And yet he's always making his film, in bits and pieces, with whatever and whoever is at hand. It's amusing, and the filmmakers are definitely mocking Borchardt, while giving him ample time to proclaim his independence. Borchardt is both a sad figure and completely frustrating. These days Mark Borchardt is 58 years old and still considers himself a filmmaker, though his output seems to consist of ongoing projects that he has never completed. He's also worked as an actor in a string of low-budget films; I wonder if that's how he pays the bills.

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The First Year (1972, Dir. Patricio Guzman) – One of the all-time best political documentaries I’ve ever seen, shot in black-and-white by then newcomer Patricio Guzman (ably assisted by Chris Marker, who helped with the distribution of the film in Europe, particularly in France). A stunning portrait of a country (Chile) and a society in turmoil, as it experiences a series of political upheavals expressing the major divisions that exist in the country, primarily between the rich and the poor, the “Westerners” or “foreigners” (or, to be quite honest, “Americans”) against the indigenous population, the factory owners versus the workers, the military versus the people, the producers versus the consumers, etc. Guzman and his team capture some stunning footage, along with some wonderfully honest dialogue spoken by the common man or woman. By the average factory worker or coal miner or fisherman. The camera expertly weaves its way through a scene, seemingly with an overall expectation of where to go, but still having the freedom to go off on tangents or different directions depending on how the scene progresses. And thus, even during scenes where it’s simply a large group of people in a room speaking or arguing, the scene feels like it has more energy because the camera is constantly exploring the room. Exploring the different faces. Doing what it was supposed to do: Document a specific times/place/era/event so that it would provide a greater understanding and context to others. The film does a revelatory job explaining the key elements of the ongoing conflict in Chile. It mainly uses clips, obviously a lot of interviews but some narration too (or perhaps dialogue from interviews laid over different imagery), and media of the day, such as newspaper headlines, radio reports, and television footage. He introduces Salvador Allende and how his elected government was basically immediately sabotaged by the opposition parties, the military, the current and former landowners upset about the land seizures/disputes, and, as is heavily, heavily implied (even this far back): the CIA. Or at least, governmental actors or forces working covertly behind the scenes and opposing the Allende government and everything it represents…It even has a rather lengthy segment with Fidel Castro visiting Chile and it’s quite fascinating; it shows the ease with which he was able to communicate with the average worker and their families, and it shows the massive following he had coming from the largely rural populations throughout Central and South America. The impact of the film is even greater when you think about the events that were to follow; the military coup in 1973; Augusto Pinochet; open violence in the streets; the “disappeared”; the censorship; the paranoia; the chaos and destruction. And to see the optimism that is on display here…well, it all just gives this film a certain pervasive sense of dread, even though much of what you are watching is intended to give you hope in the goodness of humanity. It would’ve been nice had the story had a happy ending, but I know that’s not the case. Excited to watch his next three flicks, the ones that really shot him to fame in the ’70s, The Battle of Chile Films. Supposedly they just included this film on the Blu-Ray as a “Bonus Film!” to those three films, which are supposed to be the films of his with the greatest acclaim. If this is merely considered an add-on or “bonus film,” then I’m very much looking forward to the actual “major films” in the set. Because it would be tough to top this one.

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Fighting Mad Shout! DVD
Peter Fonda. Directed by Jonathan Demme. 1976
An Arkansas farmer stages a one-man war against corrupt land developers who want to evict him and his neighbors from their farms for real estate developments.

I had watched Jonathan Demme's "Silence of the Lambs" the other night, so I thought it was time to re-visit one of his early Roger Corman films. Corman wanted a "Redneck Revenge Movie" centered around strip-mining, and Demme wrote the script about a Common Man fighting corrupt land developers. It's a pure low budget "B" movie but it delivers the necessary goods, -Violence, Vehicular Mayhem, and Nudity, -at regular intervals (a Corman trademark). While it's all rather predictable, Demme gives the characters a bit of dimension and the situations seem credible. It's satisfactory for what it is. The picture quality isn't very refined, though, with a lot of digital noise. The disc features a commentary track with Jonathan Demme, Peter Fonda, Lynn Lowry, and Roger Corman that I found more entertaining than the film itself.

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2015

"The story unfolds through the present-day storyline of the archaeologist and his coma-induced visions of the past"

It was crap and did not understand the plot until I looked it up on Google.

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HBO Max

It was ok but probably a sequel that was not really necessary or needed.

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2016

I own this on Blu-ray but in a crate and did not want to open it or risk everything I have collected falling down to the floors like dominos.

It still holds up and I forgot Clint Eastwood directed it.

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2024

Paramount + or you can watch it on Showtime

"An astronaut struggles to maintain his grip on reality during a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn's moon, Titan."

Maybe nobody else liked it and probably will hate the ending but I did not think it was that bad.

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2024

Hulu

I liked it and would not mind if it won or got nominated for several Oscars.

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Mulholland Drive (2001)

"Did you want to tell me something, Adam?"

Regarded by many as one of the best films of the new millennium, this masterpiece of surrealistic neo-noir from the late David Lynch (RIP) was originally conceived - and shot - as a 90 minute television pilot for ABC back in 1999. After the network declined to pick it up, European production company StudioCanal approached Lynch with the idea of making this into a feature film which they would fund. Lynch agreed, gathered the principal cast back for additional shooting, and completed it as a two and a half hour movie. And what a movie this is. What I appreciate the most about it is that Lynch provides no definitive answers to the many questions that people have after they've seen this for the first time. Other than providing a few hints and vague clues, he leaves it entirely up to the viewers to decide for themselves how to interpret it. And there are some very interesting interpretations and theories to be found out there. At least a couple of re-watches are required here, IMO, as many details will be overlooked the first time through. Everything about this film appeals to me. This is Lynch at his finest, IMO. Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, and Fire Walk With Me are not far behind. Mulholland Drive is easily in my Top-5 of all time. A brilliant movie from a brilliant filmmaker. Highly recommended.

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Completely agreed. One of my all-time favorites, could be in my top five of all-time, as well. I know when I was making a list for best movies of the 2000s (2000-2009), I had this one number one. It's just a perfect movie in my mind. And yeah, it's one of those films that you get different takeaways every time you view it. It's dramatic, it's hilarious (Billy Ray Cyrus, the apartment scene and the vacuum cleaner noise, etc.), it's flat-out terrifying at times (one scene involving a diner probably made me jump more than anything I've ever seen on film)...

The day this was released on DVD was one of the all-time best days for physical releases, as I remember the Coen Brothers' The Man Who Wasn't There was released on DVD the same day (and I think, I could be wrong, but I think those two films shared the Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival that year). I remember I had the day off, I think I may have even also skipped classes that day, and I just laid back and absorbed these fantastic films, and it was the David Lynch one that absolutely blew me away. And by that point he had already done a lot of other stuff I liked and I just didn't expect him to manage to top them all...that was impressive...

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Snake Eyes (1998, Dir. Brian De Palma) – A super-underrated, stylish, fun thrill ride from De Palma. Not one of his best, mind you, but definitely far, far from his worst. In fact, of his ‘90s work, it’s probably this and Mission: Impossible that hold up the best (Carlito’s Way is pretty great, too, I know), however I’d ultimately say Snake Eyes comes out on top. I think Nic Cage just perfectly inhabits the role of Rick Santoro. He’s a dynamic and compelling every time he is onscreen, which is almost the entire movie. The supporting cast is a who’s who of character actors; John Heard, Sinise, Mike Starr, Michael Rispoli, Luis Guzman, Carla Gugino, Tamara Tunie, Stan Shaw, Kevin Dunn, etc. And the noir influence is undeniable, especially with the camera angles and the way certain scenes are staged, especially those set in the bowels of the arena. Obviously, the major attraction of the film was sold as the opening tracking shot, lasting a whopping 12 minutes or so. Amazing. It got me the first time I watched it and it’s held up every single time since then. It’s a complex, incredibly effective way to open the film, introducing all of the major characters, each in brief but unique little meetups, all the while revealing how the Rick Santoro character truly behaves and interacts with people. But that’s not the only bravura set-piece. As many others have noted, the scene in which the camera glides over the hotel rooms, voyeuristically, is just awesome. Like, it had to be pricey and I’m sure some of the production staff were probably like, is this really necessary? This is complicated as f**k and it’s probably costing us way more money and time than it should…but wtf, it’s De Palma. And apparently he kept within budget and actually stayed well-ahead of schedule throughout the picture, so I’m sure they appreciated that. And while the film might (might) not have quite the strongest ending, it’s not nearly as awful as critics at the time made it out to be. Does it live up to the rest of the film? Honestly, not quite. Not quite. But that’s hardly a condemnation. And after having watched it for probably close to a dozen times, I actually think it works better and better. And I learned something I had never noticed before today. Stay tuned until the very end of the credits. It’s not like a post-scene or anything like that, just a funny little add-on by De Palma if you’re able to decipher its meaning. All in all, great movie. Just wish it had more extras aside from one commentary track (which is pretty great)…and thus…

Commentary by Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson: Very solid and informative commentary. They have a nice rapport, there’s virtually no gaps or silences, it’s just a nonstop fountain of information. Some tidbits I hadn’t heard before? Apparently the first choice for the lead was John Travolta. Makes sense, given his ties to De Palma (most notably, obviously Blow Out, but also his smaller role in Carrie), and De Palma appreciated Travolta’s New Jersey roots. After that fell through, apparently Mel Gibson was at least briefly attached or considered. Now that I think would’ve been interesting, and while I don’t think either would’ve done better than Cage (who ended up being pretty much perfect in the role), I think Gibson would’ve had an interesting take (Travolta, at this stage of his career, despite his relatively recent resurgence at the time, doesn’t seem right for the role and I think would’ve hurt the film). Also learned that Gary Sinise’s role was actually at one point being considered for Al Pacino, who also obviously had a prior history with De Palma (Carlito’s Way, Scarface). I think that while Pacino probably would’ve been good in the role, I’m happy they went with the younger Sinise, who I thought gave off a very sinister presence. Even prior to Pacino, though, they were also strongly considering Will Smith to play the role that ultimately went to Sinise. However, due to the major success of MIB, Smith was apparently looking for a much, much larger payday, so the producers balked and moved on. I think that turned out to be for the best, as I have a hard time picturing Smith in that role opposite Cage. Also learned that the character John Heard plays, casino magnate and arms manufacturer “Powell”, was partly based on Donald Trump, at least personality-wise (and the obvious Atlantic City connection). And while I think Heard’s role was reduced as the film was being shot, the comparisons are fairly obvious, although they ring more prescient today. A great track to listen to…even if you just have it on in the background while you do chores or fold clothes or whatever, you’re bound to take away a few nuggets of info…

EDIT: Oh yeah, no big deal, but what the hell is up with the music over the disc's main menu? It's this very, very '80s-ish "pop song" that I just cannot figure out where it came from (kind of sounds like, maybe the GoGos)...I don't remember ever hearing it during the movie...I have no idea who came up with that track or why they selected it but it just seems like a completely off-the-wall choice for menu music...And I don't even think a lot of Kino Lorber discs even have menu music (I could be wrong but I've never really noticed before)...I just thought that song choice actually sounds like it would fit the movie...if it were set in the '80s but it's not...

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Lynch and Joel Coen shared the Best Director award at Cannes that year, with The Son's Room winning the Palme d'Or and The Piano Teacher the Grand Prix. Hard to believe the movie itself walked away empty handed. It was the first dvd movie I ever bought, even before I had a dvd player. Currently have the StudioCanal region B restoration blu-ray and it looks and sounds fantastic. Can't say enough about Naomi Watts' performance ... she and Laura Harring have amazing chemistry here. Melissa George is always a welcome sight for me, as are Robert Forster and James Karen. Just an amazing score by Angelo Badalamenti, as well. This is probably as close to perfect as a movie can get for me.

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2008

"Embarking on a journey to fulfil her dreams as a dancer, a young girl discovers a new style of dance that will prove to be the source of both conflict and self-discovery."

Yes Mary Elisabeth Winstead was in a dance movie and played the lead in the late aughts along with a young Tessa Thompson and danced to Lady Gaga.

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Ah, now I remember, just got the shared award wrong. The Piano Teacher was also a great movie that year. And yeah, both of the lead actresses gave career-best performances in my mind...Also loved Badalamenti's cameo during the meeting with Theroux's character...And the cowboy character always kind of makes me chuckle but is kind of scary as hell at the same time...Way too many classic scenes...

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Moving Violation Shout! DVD
Stephen McHattie, Kay Lenz. Directed by Charles S Dubin. 1976
A young drifter and his newly acquired girlfriend witness a corrupt local Sheriff kill his deputy, soon becoming the prime suspects, and they set off across country to evade capture.

Juile Corman, wife of Roger, also produced her fair share of "Drive-In" fodder, and "Moving Violation" is her entry in the "Redneck Road Chase" genre. Stephen McHattie is a capable actor, but he has the narrow eyes and "lean and hungry look" of a villain, and he isn't quite the roguish charmer the film needs him to be for most of the film. Kay Lenz, his co-star, already had a career playing hippies and troubled girls, but she manages a warm smile and an affable manner. Of course, the film ends up going dark before it's over, with doomed McHattie shooting at corrupt Police officers and Lenz in a fugue state, so perhaps they were the right casting choices after all. Still, this is a film primarily about car chases and there are plenty of stunt sequences scored to Old School Country Music with lots of fiddles. It's just a shame all the chase sequences were "under-cranked", artificially speeding up the film in the most obvious way possible, making it all a little less credible.

Re: Last Movie You Watched Thread
 

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The Battle of Chile: Part One – The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975, Dir. Patricio Guzman) – Amazing start to this trilogy of films about the political, social, economic, and military turmoil underwent by Chile in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Once again, Guzman displays an uncanny eye and incredibly adept editing skills by providing a street-level view of exactly what was happening in Chile during this crucial period. It shows the manipulation of the population by the temporarily sidelined upper economic classes as well as foreign interests (both government and business-related) who viewed the new Socialist government a threat to their livelihoods. And as such, when underhanded political methods to destabilize the Allende government fail, and when some mild, staged violence isn’t enough to turn the population against the Allende administration, then it’s time for a military coup, launched in 1973. It’s a sobering film, and the whole premise of the project is marked by sadness, as the optimism expressed by so many of the average working folks interviewed or profiled will soon be forever shattered. This film is about how oppressive forces can work to beat down and eliminate even the most popular of uprisings, so long as those oppressive forces can dominate and wield power in the fields of politics, economics, and military. The average individual doesn’t stand a chance against that sort of power. And Guzman is making a point that even when “workers unite” and try and have their voices heard, this is much harder than it sounds, as the enemy trying to prevent you from being heard often is ten or a hundred or a thousand times more powerful than you’ll ever be. So it’s not an optimistic film. But it is a damn informative one. And well-shot and edited to boot. And, if anything, it has a strong, effective, anti-fascist message. Highly recommended for fans of hard-hitting documentaries…

The Battle of Chile: Part Two – The Coup d’etat (1976, Dir. Patricio Guzman) – Basically a direct continuation of the last one, this one follows the gradual but inevitable downfall of the democratically-elected Allende government by a cabal of fascist, unpatriotic, domestic and foreign enemies of the state, backed up by a fascistic military eager to wield power over the masses. Frustrating to watch, for sure, as one of the many conceits it makes is that oftentimes those on the “left” of the political spectrum have a tendency to go to war amongst themselves, usually to the detriment of their overarching goals. Thus, one of the main strategies used to combat them is to divide and conquer. Do whatever you can to turn them against one another. That’s why, there’s even one scene that had me question whether or not a certain “peasant” wasn’t actually acting as an agent provocateur working for the American government to cause dissension in the ranks of the working poor. That was common practice at the time (and probably still is, but to the extent to which we’ll never know) in the intelligence communities across the globe. One thing I will note about this film is that, unlike the prior entry in the series, this one feels much more focused. Like it’s established a firm thesis and is sticking to it. As such, there’s a lot more attention to detail, including scenes packed with intense, political debate. Some of these scenes merely consist of one character or another basically just giving a monologue for several minutes at a time, allowing them to voice their frustrations and sense of futility caused by the current crisis. It’s also even more explicit in its condemnation of foreign governments (again, it varies but it’s usually either “the American government” or “the North American government”; those are the most common phrases heard), and goes to great lengths to point out the extent to which top American military officials not only provided equipment for the coup, but also training and direct coordination. It’s stuff that is all well-known now but at the time it was still considered shocking in some circles. Overall it’s a great continuation of Guzman’s definitive documentary series on “the Battle of Chile”…

The Battle of Chile: Part Three – The Power of the People (1978, Dir. Patricio Guzman) – The weakest of the trilogy, this acts as a coda but also as a kind of bizarre recap, mostly because (I assume to due to circumstances in the country once Pinochet seized power) Guzman had to recycle quite a bit of footage in order to complete the film (also makes me wonder if this was mostly made a few years later because of the success of the prior two films; so to capitalize off of the success from those two a third film was slapped together mostly out of existing footage or previously unused footage). The recap wasn’t necessary (although I guess if there was a long gap between watching the films, it makes sense), and at first I honestly thought I might’ve actually popped in Disc One again. But nope, this is the third one. It’s not nearly effective as the other two films, and it often comes across as a little unnecessary, given the previous two films. It does delve deeper into the people’s collectives and how the workers unite to distribute food and resources because the truck owners (owned by Chilean “bourgeois” and North American businessmen, as the film is apt to emphasize) constantly go on strike in order to make the government look bad (and thus get overthrown). It lacks the momentum of the other two, because frankly a lot of the people have become dispirited and downright disillusioned at this point. And even the ones that try and sound positive, their words are no longer convincing.

I will say this though: There’s this one scene that is just serene and beautiful but it’s hard to explain why: It’s just a girl pulling a makeshift rickshaw, only she is using her momentum to almost glide or hover along the pavement while using her hands to steady and hold down the rickshaw’s arms. It sounds crazy but it’s as if she’s ice-skating or “walking on air”, as she’s really cruising along at a rapid pace. The great musical cue that accompanies the scene helps too. Anyway, I just thought that indelible image will forever be permanently etched into my mind, and it’s just sublime.

Other thing I would add is that, for whatever reason, the score is shockingly similar to Ennio Morricone’s score for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. With the flute or the pan-flute or whatever Morricone used. It’s almost uncanny. I doubt there’s a connection but I was immediately reminded of the Leone film…

But yeah, I almost feel like this third one isn’t really essential. The way the films are built up, it is almost as though this one should’ve been a direct look at the Pinochet dictatorship, because that’s what it was building up to. Of course that would’ve been virtually impossible, given Pinochet’s military rule and censorship, and the filmmakers would’ve been risking their lives to an unfathomable degree. The first two films are great though. Educational, informative, and all the while entertaining.